The Last Week Begins

Between decorating for a wedding, standing behind a serving table dishing out chipatis (flat bread), getting stuck in a Kampala traffic jam after a five-hour church function, painting wall-sized murals in the Baby House classroom, spelunking through the most extraordinary market I've ever experienced and finding banana costumes quite unexpectedly... Wow. The first few days of my last week in Africa have been so full, I won't be able to document them all on one post, will I?

Let's start with the first items on that list...

(Please click "Read More" to continue)

Saturday

Agenda: Wedding Preparation and Attendance, 6:00AM--7:30PM

Learning to make bows from ribbon
(My job included manufacturing all the purple ones.)

The Balloon Department

"I've never even decorated for a Canadian wedding before," I realized as I attempted to help Edith hang draperies on the Bible School classroom wall, "but at least by the end of this I'll know how to decorate African-style!" 








This, I soon discovered, involves making ribbons for the walls, pinning cloths to the tables, pumping balloons for wherever one can find a spot to put them, and most of all trying to figure out how to attach flowing pieces of fabric to inhospitable concrete walls. Fortunately, the roll of purple duct tape that had been in my suitcase exactly matched the hue of the violet and gold draperies! If I didn't already firmly believe that duct tape can handle almost any situation travel throws at you, I would now.



A job well done!

I was surprised to hear, instead of "you may kiss the bride,"
"give your bride a warm hug!"

The second year classroom at last transformed into a stunning reception hall, I had just enough time to eat lunch before heading down to the church for the mass wedding service. Another couple was just finishing their vows when I arrived and slid into a plastic chair near the door. After they stepped off the stage, the wedding began for Robert and Winnie, the student couple whose Introduction I attended (not to mention danced through!) last week. The pastor preached his message, the two couples signed the books in turn, and then both couples stood with their parties to be declared husband and wife.



While a North American bride might feel a little odd if she were
standing at the altar while another bride sat watching in the pew,
that's exactly what happens at the mass wedding services
becoming more common in larger churches here.

During the reception up in the college, I decided that a "behind the scenes" experience might afford a little more intrigue than merely staying seated as a guest. Thus, I joined the ranks of student friends running errands, wrapping cakes and standing behind the serving table during the huge traditional feast! Every kind of food imaginable filled two long tables, including millet, cassava, sweet potato, rice, two kinds of meat, Irish potato, cabbage, chapatis and of course a tonne of matooke! My job was to stand, two forks in hand--one armed with chapatis and the other with randomly selected chicken body parts--and unload them onto each passing plate. It was actually a lot of fun!

Sunday

Agenda: Attend Family Day function in Gayaza, 9:30 AM

It sounded simple enough: join a carload of people traveling for an event at the church in Gayaza--the same place where we went for the youth rally last month. I always enjoy the ride to Gayaza, through the city and past fascinating little village markets along the road, but to make things even more interesting this time, someone bought a bag of fresh sugar cane on the way. All the rest of the trip, Jjaaja Rita and I had fun trying somewhat unsuccessfully to gnaw on the sweet, fibrous pieces without dripping juice all over the backseat.

The church in Gayaza presented different families in the congregation with Certificates
 of Appreciation, and recognized all the graduates in the church with a huge cake at the end of the service.

We arrived at the church right during the worship service, after which came some numbers by different performing artists similar to what we had seen at the youth rally--only no rapping competitions this time! --Although the worship leader was dancing so hard that he had sweat literally pouring down his face by the time he stepped off the platform. The visiting preacher worked up quite a sweat during his message about the kingdom of God as well, as I recall. Lunch eventually followed, another delicious meal of rice, matooke, ground nut sauce, beef/broth and greens. Although everyone else had forks, somehow Jjaaja Rita and I missed them and ended up eating with our paws! Not that I minded...

When we left after the function ended at around 4:30, we found
 ourselves very much stuck, stranded in one of Kampala's
infamous traffic jams. Although the daylight shone when we
began the drive, it was not until the hills had grown quite dark
 that we finally reached home some two hours later!




 















Monday

Agenda: Painting day in the Baby House classroom!

I'll let the photos tell the story of today's events...





The palm tree's halfway done now!

Jjaaja Rita and a friend named Regan painting
a blackboard under our new alphabet

Progressing "slowly by slowly"

Play dough time!

Not to end on a cliff hanger or anything, but remember I mentioned those stories about the exceptionally cultural market and the giant banana costume? Tune in next time!